Improvement in valve devices for steam-power air-brake couplings



STATES naca ' PATENT GFFIcn GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE, JR., OF PITTSBUR l,FENNSYLVANIA.

Specifica-tion forming part of Letters Patent No. 116,655, dated July 4,1871.

To all 'whom t may concern:

` Be it known that I, GEORGE Wns'riNG-Housn, J r., of Pittsburg, in thecounty of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in. Valve Device for Steam- Power Air-Brake Couplings5 and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being' had to the accompanying drawingmaking a part of this spec` iiication, in which- I Figure 1 is alongitudinal section of the male and female parts of a pipe-couplingfitted with my improvement, the valve being in the male part; and Fig. 2is a like view of the same, except that the valve is in the female partand the stem by which it is unseated is in. the male part.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts of each.

My presentinvention relates to the construction of valve devices for thecoupling-pipes of steam-power air-brakes of railway cars, of the sameclassas is described in Letters Patent a-lready granted to me, April 13,1869, and November 29, .1870, and consists in a conibination of devicessomewhat modified from any of the forms heretofore patented tome, and inwhich modifi ed form a valve arranged in one part of the coupling isunseated by a fixed inflexible stem in the other part, the valve in allother respects operating' in the manner heretofore described.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, l willproceed to describe its construction and manner of use.

The male and female parts A and B of the coupling are made of anysuitable form. They are attached to the iiexible pipes by theircorrugated ends A' B', and are iitted with packing a, fasteningspring-hooks b, and adjustable rings c in the usual way. In Fig. l themale part A has a valve-chamber,A d', in which is arranged the valve c,having' guiding-win gs c', or other equivalent devices, by which it isguided in its motion to and from its seat c. "When the two parts `of thecoupling are disconnected the pressure ofthe air back of the valve cwill always press it to its seat, so that in such ease it will bepractically a pipe having a closed end, and the air will be preventedfrom escalfiing. ln the female part, a-nd across the opening at an`ysuitable point, is iiXed a bar, f, from which a rigid inflexible stem, fprojects ioiuvard far enough, and in such posi tion as that, when thecouplings are united, it will engage some part, say the stem j' of thevalve c, and force it' back from its seat far eiiough to lleave an openpassage-way around for the fiow of air. In Fig. 2 the same combinationis shown, except that the valve c is arranged in a suitablewtlve-chamber of the female part of the coul'iling, and the cross-bar j'and stem j" in the male part ofthe coupling.

ln furnishing cars with such couplings the female parts may be placed onthe corresponding ends of all the cars of any one road, andthe maleparts on the opposite ends; or, what is a better arrangement, twocoupling pipes may be employed at each end of each car, such pipes ofeach pair meeting at er short of the brake-cylinder. Then, on all thecars of the road, and on both ends of each car, the right-handcoupling-pipe should be fitted with a male or female coupling, and theleft-hand coupling-pipe with the corresponding female or male coupling,the arrange ment of the valve in the male or female parts being uniformin all the couplings, and likewise that of the bar and stem. This latterarrangement, however, will constitute a part of the subj ect-matter of aseparate application. Then, when the cars are coupled together, an openiminterrupted passa ge-wa-y will be openthrough the entire train for theiiow of the air, which for this purpose is to be compressed bysteam-power into a suitable reservoir, and the pipes of the rear end ofthe last car may be coupled together. This construction an darrangement, however, will form the subj ect-1 natter ofa separateapplication The stems fl prefer to make of such length that if twocouplings, both lifted with cross-bars j' and stemsj", happen to cometogether, they will not prevent the uniting of the couplings.combination set forth any other suitable form of valve may take theplace of the valve c, the only essential points being that it shall befree to close by pressure from behind, and shall be unseated, when thecouplings are united, by means of a rigid stem, j', engaging it, or somepart of it, or some device connected therewith.

l/Vhat l claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

ln the' Aiigid inexible ste1n, f, arranged in one part VVESTiNGHOUsE,Jr., have hereunto set my of a pipe-coupling, in Combination with ztvalve in hand. the other part, the tWo being` so arranged that GEO.WESTINGHOUSE, JR. when the couplings are united the Valve shall bennseftted by being` brought in Contact with the Witnesses: stein7substantially as described. A. S. NICHOLSON,-

In testimony whereof I7 the said GEORGE R. C. VRENSHALL.

